Black Rose
by Shadow Bakura
Summary: As a rain storm rumbles on, Yami Bakura savs a mysterious girl that seems to have a split personality. Sort of YB/OC. Chapter seven and holding (Loststory! Stupid computer! Need ideas! HELP!)
1. Caught in the rain

"Black Rose" By Saint Dragon  
  
This story is about, you guessed it, Yami Bakura! Okay, so if Bakura were separate from Ryou, what would you get? Well, this story! And what if Bakura *gulp* starts to care? Um, we'll just have to see! Plus, pay attention to the title of the story. It plays a very important role in the plot. Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, Yami Bakura, Ryou, or any of the original characters; but I do own Sakura! And I don't own Creed's songs or P.O.D's, okay? _' (I wish I did) Oh, and this ain't Yaoi!  
  
It was a typical July day in Domino City; the kids and teens were outside doing out of doors activities. When it hit; a gulf storm whipped across the small Japanese town, a strong gust of wind blowing rain around and lightning flashing in the sky. Ryou and his Yami, Bakura (Duh!), were at that time playing football at the park with their friends, Joey, Yami Yugi, Yugi, Tea, and Tristan. In seconds the group was soaked to the skin. "Figures." Joey mumbled, picking up his football as all of his friends went running for shelter. They found it in the back of Ryou's house that was only about a hundred yards from the park. They climbed a tree and all took shelter in Ryou's tree fort. "Well, at least it's someplace dry." Tea said, seeing a few drips of rainfall thru a crack in the roughly built ceiling. "Don't criticize my work! I did a smashing job on this tree fort. Don't you agree, Yami?" Ryou asked his Yami. Bakura's brown eyes that were narrowed with their evil stare, glanced up at his hikari. "I could've done better." He said, leaning against the wall of the fort. Ryou rolled his eyes and sat down too. Joey laughed. "Hey, man, I mean, Bakura's got a point. You built this when you first moved here. Two years ago." Joey said. "I suppose it was good for the things I was going thru. One being the strange inhabitance of my Yami." Ryou said, glancing at Bakura. Bakura grinned. "Aren't I the blame for everything in your life, Bakura?" He asked, his grin just a sarcastic one. "There was nothing wrong in my life before YOU." Ryou assured him. "Humph!" Bakura protested, crossing his arms. "Okay, now give Bakura a break. I mean, he has changed a lot since last year at Duelist Kingdom, and bygones are bygones, right?" Yami Yugi asked. No one answered. "I was the one who banished Bakura to the Shadow Realm, and I'm forgiving him! And look at you guys!" Yami Yugi said, shaking his head. "Thanks for sticking up for me, Yami Yugi. But these mortals have no understanding of me and my soul." Bakura said, climbing back down the ladder to the ground. "Oh, come on Bakura! I just. I!" Was all Ryou could say. Bakura kept walking, ignoring the desperate cries of his Aibou. 'I don't need you! And I'll prove it!' Bakura said mentally thru his mind to Ryou. /So that's the way you want it to be, is it? You're going by yourself?/ Ryou mentally asked. 'That's right. I don't need you, nor your pitiful mortal friends.' /Find then. Just don't expect to hear from me for a long while./ Ryou said sternly, and the connection was broken. Bakura sighed. 'Well that's a load off my chest.' He thought. But he kept walking; deep inside his heart wishing that Ryou was talking to him. But he kept his feelings to himself, like he had always done, and walked on.  
  
Bakura's POV  
  
The rain kept pouring down on me from the skies, as I thought of one thousand and one reasons why I hated Ryou, and why I hated this mortal world. My journey had taken me to the sidewalks of Domino, and I walked thru the park as night began to fall upon the city. Nighttime was where I felt the most comfortable; being part of the darkness made me feel at home, back when I lived in the Shadow Realm. The storm raged on as I walked, and it almost completely dark when I heard a scream. It didn't jump me, but made me stop and listen. I had heard worst things in my long life, and screams were something that I heard often; seeing most of my victims were lucky if I killed them quick. If anyone got in my way of stealing things out of the tombs, I would kill them. They would be lucky if they got away, because I'd just track them down. But this was a girl's scream; I could tell from the high velocity of the shrill. It was coming from the bushes, so I crept up to see what was happening. "Please! Someone help me!" The girl called. A big man, even more muscular then myself, held a pocketknife to the girl's throat, in a threatening tone he hissed, "Cooperate now, or I'll cut you to pieces." There were two other men there, and every time she said no, they kicked her in the ribs and in the stomach. She had blood seeping thru her white shirt, the rain making it stain even more. Her black hair was flattened against her head, soaked to the skin. Still watching, I witnessed her beating long enough. I felt like a fight anyhow; not for the well being of the girl, but for my own personal pleasure. I stepped out from the concealment of the bushes, my dueling deck in my hand's strong grasp. "Let her go, mortals." I said in a deep, powerful voice that many a times struck fear into the hearts of my victims. They all looked over at me, dropping their fun play toy to the ground, where the girl moaned in pain. "Well, looky here, boys. We've got ourselves a Robin Hood, comin' to defend the weak and the poor." The leader said, the one who had been holding the knife to the girl's throat. "I am not here to be made fun of, cowards. I'm here to claim what is mine." I gestured to the girl, who was watching the standoff with a shudder. "She was ours first, punk. And I suggest you leave, or we'll use you in the same fate as the girl." The boy said. "I don't believe that will be happening tonight. You don't know me, infidels. So don't tempt fate with me." I warned, holding a card behind my back. "Attempt fate? Oh, you'll meet yoa fate all right. Get'em boys." The leader called. "Not so fast. I would like you to meet a friend of mine. Take a look," I held up the card I had concealed behind my back. "The Black Tiger is an old friend of mine. And if you want to live, I suggest you leave now." I said. They all started laughing as I narrowed my eyes. "Look, guys, he's gonna kill us with a paper cut!" The leader laughed. "Black Tiger, heed to my call." I commanded. From the woods, my summoned monster prowled out, the yellow eyes of my prized Black Tiger narrowing in on the bunch of punks. Each one of their punk smiles melted off their punk faces as each one of them began running. My Black Tiger followed in hot pursuit after them. I put back my card, and noticed the girl had passed out. She lay motionless on the wet grass, blood trickling down her body. I ignored it, walking off and out of the woods. But I stopped when I heard a faint voice, almost not audible. "Please..help..m.me." I turned around, the girl's dark eyes looking at me with pure, horrible innocence. I starting walking again, but stopped without my real will. Turning around, I sighed angrily as I walked back to her. She was now fully passed out, her eyes closed and her body limp. But she was small, and very skinny, so when I picked her up, she was light to carry. I walked back to Ryou's house, just a hundred yards from the park, and banged on the front door with my foot. No answer. It figured that he'd be out with his friends. I turned to the yard, the girl now beginning to grow to be a burden in my arms, but somehow managed to get up the tree and into the tree fort. That was where I placed her down on the floor, and noticed a note in where Ryou had been sitting previously that afternoon. "Bakura, I've gone to Yugi's house to spend the night. Hope you don't mind. Ryou." I read out loud, and sighed. "Dang you, Ryou!" I said, leaving the girl in the tree fort as I climbed back down to the house. It was unlocked, lucky for Ryou, and I went upstairs to get some rest. The girl would at least be safe in the tree fort, as much as I hated to admit, I was guilty for leaving there in the tree fort, with barely any warmth. "Raka re manoh!" I cursed in Egyptian, and went in to my closet, digging out a flashlight, emergency kit, and a blanket, along with an old pillow. "Maska sa naro!" I kept cursing as I traveled back out into the rain with my things. I threw the stuff up into the tree fort and climbed the rest of the way up, still talking to myself in Egyptian as I went. Turning on the flashlight, I examined her wounds. It appeared that she probably had some broken ribs, though I didn't venture to extensive checking. I barely lifted up her shirt so I could see her stomach, and saw a long gash on her belly. It was an obvious knife wound, and that was as far as I was going to go (Personal boundaries, you know,) and put a large cloth band-aid on it. I covered her with the blanket, and feeling like I had done some sort of duty, I headed back to the house with my flashlight. Climbing up the stairs and getting into bed, I had a hard time getting to sleep. I still felt guilty, but ignoring such a mortal feeling, I fell asleep.  
  
That's Chappy one! Please R&R, and I'll get more on here! 


	2. When Yamis feel pain

Thanks for the review Victoria, you're my first reviewer! Okay, so, Bakura stuck Sakura in a tree house, and calls THAT being helpful? Whatever! So, is Bakura turning soft, or did his mortalness just give him that feeling? Well, this chapter may help!  
  
Bakura: Please tell me this isn't romance  
  
Me: Oh, I can't tell you. Read it!  
  
Bakura: Don't humiliate me, by Ra!  
  
Me: Shud up! *Under Breath* He's so kawaii when he's upset  
  
Bakura: I heard that  
  
Me: ^_^' Yami Bakura's POV  
  
When the next morning came, I woke up, looking around as if I didn't know where I was. Getting up and then getting dressed, I made my way down the stairs, and suddenly remembered the mortal girl I left in Ryou's tree fort the night before. Grabbing my coat I walked outside in the morning light and climbed the ladder. When I peeked over the floor of the fort, I noticed the girl was awake, sitting up with the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, and her seemingly dark eyes staring over at me. Scared, she backed up against the boarded wall. "Stay away from me. I don't have anything. I swear!" She said stuttering.  
  
"I don't WANT anything from you. And besides, I was the one who brought you here. Don't you have a brain to remember with?" I asked, going into the fort to pick up my things. The girl stayed as far away from me as possible, still not trusting me. Which I didn't really care about. "So.you saved me. You saved my life, didn't you?" She asked. "I didn't SAVE you life. I was in the mood for a good old fashion kick some punk butt. Which I believe I accomplished. Now go." I said, gathering the emergency kit and other things into a backpack and slung it over my shoulder. Beginning to climb down, I felt the girl's stare on me. I stopped, hand holding onto the ladder and the other keeping the backpack from falling off my shoulder. "Who are you?" She asked. "My name," I began. I sighed to myself, briefly closing my eyes. "is of no importance to you." I finished, climbing the rest of the way down. "Sure it is!" The girl called as I walked off. "You saved my life! And I'm grateful!" She called. "Well, I'm not! Maybe I should've left you there! You're annoying enough!" I called back with a growl, and walked quicker. "My name's Sakura!" The girl called. I stopped, surprised she's still try to get thru to me after I insulted her. "I am.Bakura." I said without looking, and began walking again. After a few minutes I heard footsteps behind me. I looked back to see Sakura running after me. "Oh, do you EVER give UP?" I snapped, walking quicker. "Don't you think it's a coincidence that our names are only ONE letter difference?" Sakura asked in a perky tone, which I hated. "Oh, I'm sooo lucky." I said sarcastically, wishing I still had my powers so I could zap her into the Shadow Realm for life. "Do you go to Domino High School?" Sakura asked. Quite fed up by now, I turned around and restrained myself from grabbing her by the neck. "Listen, GIRL, I DON'T go to school, and PLEASE.leave.me.alone!" I growled the last part in a low tone, staring right into her oh-so-innocent eyes, stomping into the house and shutting the door in her face. Throwing the backpack down, I stomped to the kitchen, hoping there was something in the medicine cabinet to relieve my splitting headache. As I ripped off the cover off the aspirin bottle, I got a piercing pain in my chest, my Millennium Ring glowing profusely. Moaning, and in pain (Stupid mortal body!), I sat down, the pain increasing. "What's.going on?" I asked myself and my Sennen Ring. I retreated into my soul room to see what the problem was. As I looked around, I didn't see much of anything; mostly darkness of my room. With the black linen of my bed in the corner of the shadowed room. And then there was something on the bedside desk, in a glassed in frame. I walked over to it, cocking my head slightly in confusion. When I saw it, it was glowing with an aurora of purples and blacks, and inside, a black rose. A black rose? There was no such thing. I didn't know much about the modern world, but I knew there was no such thing as a black rose. I picked up the framed glass bowl, looking at the rose closely. "What is this?" I asked myself. A single petal fell off, and I was pulled from the Shadow Room to the real world. I bent over in pain, holding my stomach. That single petal corrupted my whole body; my body was engulfed in a fire of pain. I slowly started blacking out, as I tried to stumble to the front door, to get up. I actually hoped Sakura was out there. I needed help. Turning the doorknob was like touching fire. Every part of my body hurt, including my hands. I did it quick, while leaning against the door for support. And sure enough, that pest of a girl was out there, just beginning to walk away. I stumbled down the stairs, but didn't make it. I fell, hitting my head hard against the cement blocks for the steps. I was out cold. All there was was pure darkness.  
  
Like this chappy? I hope you do!  
  
Bakura: I don't! It made me look like a fool!  
  
Me: *Rumpling Bakura's Hair with hand* Oh, but at least you haven't died yet! *Cute Voice*  
  
Bakura: *Pulling hand away* Yet? Are you going to kill me? I'll strangle you!  
  
Me: *Uses authoress powers to tie Bakura up* That outta do it. R&R pweeze! ^_^ 


	3. Secrets Revealed to the mortals

Thanks for the.interesting reviews. Um, let me get one Authoress thing straight. I know it might kinda give away stuff, but.I don't like torturing Yami Bakura! I luv him!  
  
Me: *starts bawling*  
  
Bakura: ?  
  
Me: You're supposed to stick up for me you darkness person! Waaahhhhh!  
  
Bakura: Uhhh.well.you HAVE made me in profuse pain, but.  
  
Me: I tell you my feelings and you dump me before we're even together! Wahhhhhhhh!!  
  
Bakura: Well.um.maybe if you post a next chapter, then I'll like you more?  
  
Me: *Stops crying for a moment* Really? *Starry eyes*  
  
Bakura: *Coils Back against the back of his chair* Yeah?  
  
Me: *Hugs Bakura hard* You're the best!  
  
Bakura: Losing.oxygen! Can't.breath!  
  
Me: *still hugging Bakura* here's the next chapter!  
  
Sakura's POV  
  
I heard a thump behind me, and when I turned, I saw Bakura laying motionless on the ground. Well, half on the steps, half on the ground.  
  
I rushed quickly over to him, a wave of sorrow conceiving my body. I knelt down, touching his shoulder and shaking it. "Bakura?" I asked.  
  
Silence..  
  
There was no answer, and I wasn't so sure what to do. All I knew was that he needed help. Fast. So I ran inside his house and found the telephone. The list of emergency numbers was on the telephone, and the first one that was there was the game shop. So I pushed A, which was the code pad for that number, and it began ringing.  
  
Ryou's POV  
  
It was in the morning that Yugi said there was a girl on the phone for me. I was a little confused, because rarely did girls want to talk to me. (A/N: I would!)  
  
She's says it's urgent." Yugi said, looking just as confused as I was at that moment. I took the phone, a little unsurely. "Hello? Ryou Bakura speaking." I stated.  
  
"Hello? My name's Sakura. It's a long story, but do you know someone named Bakura?" The girl on the other line asked.  
  
"Why, yes, what's the matter?" I asked, glancing up at Yami Yugi and Yugi whom were looking at me with a question in their twin magenta eyes. "He's passed out on your step. I don't know what happened. I just looked back, and he wasn't moving. He hit his head pretty hard on the cement steps." Sakura said.  
  
"Okay. I'll be there right away. Just stay there and keep an eye on him. But I'll want an explanation to why you know him." I said.  
  
"Yes, but please hurry!" Sakura said, hanging up on her line. I hung up shortly after. "I've got to go. Bakura's hurt." I said, rushing out of the door and down the street.  
  
Bakura's POV  
  
My vision was blurred when I woke up, and saw two fuzzy figures luring above me. Blinking a few time to clear my foggy vision, I realized it was Sakura and Ryou. I sat up, finding out I was back inside the house on the couch.  
  
"What happened to you, Bakura?" Ryou asked me. I suddenly realized what had happened. My memory had been lost for a split second, but I soon remembered that rose; The Black Rose.  
  
"Did Sakura tell you of herself?" I asked, almost positive the talkative girl must have. Ryou nodded as I continued rubbing the bruised part of my scalp.  
  
"What caused you to fall?" Ryou asked again. "I came in to get some medicine for my headache," I said, glancing over at Sakura with a glare like daggers. "And I got this terrible pain in my chest. I went into my soul room to see what the problem was, and when I approached my bed, I found a black rose in a glassed in platform. When on of the petals fell, I was suddenly returned to the real world and I staggered outside, hoping I could get help. Then I passed out." I recalled the moment word for word, as Sakura looked confused, and my hikari was worried.  
  
"A black rose? What could that mean?" Ryou asked.  
  
"How am I supposed to know? It hurt like heck when that petal fell though. I don't understand it." I said, closing my eyes to regain my inner strength, which I had lost for the period of time I had been unconscious.  
  
"What I don't understand, Bakura, it that you HELPED someone. What possessed you to do so?" Ryou asked.  
  
I sighed irritatedly. "Look, despite what misses-can't-stop-talking says, I didn't save her. Like I told her before, I wasn't HELPING her. I felt like picking a fight with those cretins." I said in a low growl, running my hand thru my long silver/white hair to move it out of my face.  
  
"Then why did you bring me here?" Sakura asked. Feeling a wave of warmth going over my body, my eyes narrowing at Sakura in a death glare. "What WAS I supposed to do? I would have been accused as a murderer. You would have died and." I stopped. Ryou's eyes pierced into mine as he looked one with pure misunderstanding.  
  
"Bakura, your *Cough* past?" Ryou said in a hushed tone. Right. I HAD done worse things to people then leaving them there to die. Sighing irritatedly, I got up off of the couch to find I was still light-headed. I sat back down quickly, and the feeling diminished. Sakura looked the most confused out of the crowd of three people I was in, and I looked up at the ceiling.  
  
"Oh, by Set." I said, this time getting up and walking to the kitchen quite unsteadily. I was questioning my inner self of why the gods of Egypt would do this to me. Much to my dismay, the two followed.  
  
"I just want to know, Bakura. This isn't like you. If a kitten came begging for food from you you'd field goal kick it!" Ryou said.  
  
"Ryou, NOW is not the time!" I said, feeling the wave of warmth go over my body again.  
  
"I'll leave. I can tell I'm making him uncomfortable." Sakura told Ryou.  
  
"Thanks again, Bakura. Even though you don't believe you saved, you ARE a hero to me." She said, and I heard the door close behind her. Sighing, I turned to Ryou in anger.  
  
"Ryou, you've ripped me of every shred of pride I have in myself, in front of that idiot girl!" I said, my whole body full of the fuel of pure anger. I approached Ryou, and he backed up, knowing what was coming. His eyes were fearful and wide, as he pressed his back against the wall.  
  
"You deserve to be punished for such a dismantling comment! Now she thinks.I saved her, Ryou. And I DIDN'T! The thing that kept going thru my mind was to leave her out there, but, of course, being mortal I felt like it to be best to take her and at LEAST get her out of the rain. But I didn't do it out of the goodness of my heart!" I growled, getting right up to Ryou's innocent face. His eyes were closed, and his bony body was shaking. I raised my fist to hit him, but I sighed, for some reason finding pity over him. "Get out of my sight before I change my mind." I warned, giving him enough space to get by and run up the stairs. I heard his bedroom door shut behind him. I sighed, feeling a bit of a sting of pain in my chest. I decided to take a walk. Then maybe I'd feel better.  
  
Me: Sorry this chapter is short! I just needed to keep you guys interested.  
  
Bakura: You've gotten 6 reviews. You suck eggs.  
  
Me: I do not suck eggs! You're a two faced jerk!  
  
Bakura: Am not! You're a skinny little..  
  
Yami: *Appears out of no where* Excuse me, but why aren't I in this fic?  
  
Me: *turns from arguing with Bakura and looks at Yami* You are. In line fifteen. Ryou ran past Yugi and Yami Yugi. See, there, you're in it. *Shows script*  
  
Yami: Yeah, but.*Sigh* _U  
  
Me: Anyway, I write ALL KINDS of stories about you! If anyone's interested out there in Fanfiction land, you have the obligation to ask questions to the characters. And send gifts to them. I can squeeze in a SMALL ask the cast if you all approve.  
  
Yami: I don't. I always get asked out.  
  
Me: Isn't that good?  
  
Yami: All depends who it is. Like in the yaoi fics, I go out with.  
  
Me: KEEP your yaoi thoughts to yourself. Anyway, R&R, and send in your questions and gifts! The guys would really appreciate it! 


	4. Someone please help me

Me: hello all! This is Kira! I'm so sorry I haven't updated. I was in the hospital for a week and I'm just starting to recover from my surgery.  
  
Bakura: Pft. So? You're torturing beyond all mortal limits and a few little cuts are serious?  
  
Me: *Evil Glare* I can give you much worse punishment if you don't shut up. I may be weakened but I can still kick your butt half way across this studio.  
  
Bakura: *Silence*  
  
Me: Wise decision. Oh, we have presents!  
  
Bakura: *Eyes light up* Really? Any for me?  
  
Me: Let me look. *Digs into pile of odds and ends, mostly plushies*  
  
Me: Here we go. Shinimegami sends you a Ryou plushie and a book titled "The Joeys of Sending Mortals to the Shadow Realm". *looks oddly at the book*  
  
Bakura: Give me that! *snatches package out of her hands*  
  
Me: geez, don't be polite.  
  
Bakura: I've always wanted this book. Thank you!  
  
Me: Oh, and some things for Ryou, also from her. A cake with the words Luv Ya on it, and a Change of Heart plushie.  
  
Ryou: *Appears out of no where* Cool!  
  
Me: And she gives you a hug as well! I'll deliver that! *Hugs Ryou hard*  
  
Ryou: *Blushes* Thanks!  
  
Me: Let's bring the whole cast here! There's gifts for all of you!  
  
*Everyone suddenly appear, looking a bit confused*  
  
Me: *Sees a big semi truck coming with the back full of presents* Uh, hold on a minute!  
  
*The truck dumps all the goodies on top of Kira*  
  
Me: O.o  
  
Bakura: Hey, where did Kira go?  
  
Ryou: Beats me. But look at all the cool presents we've got!  
  
Yugi: Ohhh! Let me see, let me see! *Digs thru pile frantically*  
  
Me: A little help? *Voice muffled by character plushies*  
  
Yugi: *Finds stuff with his name on it* Oh! More stuff from Shinimegami!  
  
*Picks up bag of candy and a Dark Magician plushie*  
  
Yugi: *starts stuffing face with candy* Fanks!  
  
Bakura: What?  
  
Yami: He said thanks  
  
Bakura: Oh.  
  
Seto: Anything for me?  
  
Yami: Let's see here, Seto, seto, seto, AHH! *Jumps back at seeing a megaton mallet with Kaiba's name on it*  
  
Yami: *Hides the mallet behind back* Nope. Nothing at all. *Looking very panicky*  
  
Seto: Come on, I know you have something behind your back.  
  
Yami: *Shakes head frantically* There's nothing. Nothing.  
  
Seto: *Jumps on Yami* Give me that!  
  
Yami: NOOOO!!!  
  
Seto: YES! GIVE ME IT!  
  
Yami: I won't let you, by Ra!  
  
Seto: *Grabs mallet after twisting Yami's hand forcefully out of place* Ah ha!  
  
Yami: Ow! You hurt my arm! *Rubs arm with tears in his eyes*  
  
Seto: All right. A megaton mallet! Thanks a lot! Now who will I terrorize first.?  
  
Yami: Oh gods!  
  
Bakura: Don't look at me like that!  
  
Kira: A little help! HELP! HELP! I've fallen and I can't get up!  
  
Yami: *Hears despirate screams from plushies* AHH! They're alive!  
  
Yugi: I fink fat's keera!  
  
Everyone: WHAT?  
  
Yugi: Fevere find  
  
Yami: I think he said Kira's under there!  
  
Kira: Thank God! Get me out of here, Yami!  
  
Yami: *digs thru piles of plushies to find a suffocating Kira*  
  
Kira: Thank you! Thank you! *Hugs Yami so that he can't breath*  
  
Yami: Ra! Help...Me!  
  
Me: Well, I'll give more presents next chappy! And here's the next installment of my trilogy!  
  
Yami: Trilogys are MORE then one story, you nincompoop.  
  
Me: Whatever. Enjoy!  
  
Bakura's POV  
  
My eyes searched the streets as if in pursuit of something, yet I didn't quite know what I was looking for. My feet were beginning to grow sore after walking about three miles from the edge of town. Out here was the outskirts of town, where there were filthy allies and very mysterious people. I wasn't afraid, because I felt like I fitted right in.  
  
"I wish me and Ryou lived here." I mumbled to myself. Suddenly I heard fast feet behind me, and someone reaching into my back pocket. Spinning around quickly with a clenched fist, I was a small boy run down the street and disappear into an ally, with my wallet in his small hand.  
  
"Hey! Come back here you little thief!" I yelled, running after him. I followed the laughing boy thru an endless passageway, all around me it getting darker and darker. But I was set on finding that boy and getting my wallet back, and beating the crap out of him.  
  
"You better stop, or when I find you I'm going to kill you!" I warned as I ran and ran. Suddenly I started going down a passageway, leading underneath the city. It was almost totally dark down there, and I suddenly realized that all around me were people. They were in the shadows, coming out of small cabins built into the brick walls, staring at me as I ran by them. Entranced by their primitive living, I didn't notice a low sewer pipe, and I knocked my head hard on it, making me fall down backwards. I had my eyes closed, being knocked out for a few moments, and when I looked up I saw that little boy looking down at me with blue-gray eyes. He laughed.  
  
"You're a funny man." He giggled. I narrowed my eyes at him.  
  
"Give me back my money, you little goblin!" I said, recovering and beginning to get up. He laughed as he ran off again.  
  
"Come back here!" I growled, not quite in the mood to be playing tag at the moment. It suddenly got light again, but only in one certain room, where the little boy had stopped. When I looked around, it was a place covered with markings, those in which I was familiar with. All over the brick and on the cement under my feet, were those ancient markings. The little boy was laughing, spinning around in a circle, with my wallet in his hand. I ignored him, noticing that in the center of this huge, ancient room of hieroglyphics, was a dueling station.  
  
My passion lay before me in a technological machine, the thing that I lived for. The Shadow Games were my life, my breath of life that kept me going.  
  
"Look what I got, mister! Hey, look!" The little boy began calling to me, and I looked over at him, waving my wallet high above his head.  
  
"Give me that! It's mine!" I said, lunging at him, but he dodged out of the way. He laughed as I ran a pursuit around the room. Finally I caught him by the waste, the small body of the boy squirming in my grasp.  
  
"Let go of him Bakura."  
  
I looked up, still holding onto the boy, and glancing at the entrance. My eyes widened to whom I saw. It was Sakura, though she looked much more different then I had saw her last. She had on tight leather pants, and a white tank top that was tied at the bottom, with a black leather crop top jacket. Her black hair was set in a high ponytail, her deep brown eyes glaring at me.  
  
I slowly let go of the boy, as he ran over to Sakura as if she was his mother.  
  
"I only wanted to play with him, Sakura." The boy cried. She bent down, hugging him.  
  
"It's okay, Benny. Some people don't seem to care about the well-being of little ones." She gave me a sharp glare with her eyes, taking the wallet out of Benny's hand and walking over to me. She handed me my wallet, still staring into my eyes constantly.  
  
"My brother begs forgiveness for his wrong doing. He only wanted someone to play with." She said, crossing her arms.  
  
"Well, I think you better teach your brother some manners. I don't find it PLAYING when you're letting the little brat steal." I said, putting my wallet back into my pocket.  
  
"You have no sense of the mind of a seven-year-old, do you?" Sakura asked sternly.  
  
"Why would I? Do I LOOK like I'm seven to you?" I asked, taking out my deck and filing thru the cards.  
  
"That's not what I mean. It's almost like you've never had a child's heart to begin with. Like you passed the whole childhood stage and grew up to be some maniac who cares only for himself and those stupid Duel Monsters cards." Sakura said.  
  
I glanced up, my eyes flickering with fire from my soul.  
  
"DON'T insult that cards. That's the worst insult you can give me." I growled, walking over to the dueling station.  
  
"Okay then. How about a psychopath? Or does INSULTING your cards still rank higher? Oh or how about a walking distortion of demonic possessions, huh? How about that, tough guy?" She mocked.  
  
Anger boiling inside of me, I turned to her.  
  
"What made YOU so angry at me? Why, if I don't recall, YOU were the one calling me your hero, Sakura. What changed your mind?" I asked.  
  
"A little birdie told me of how you really are. You're not a hero at all, Bakura. You're a hateful, jealous guy who cares about nothing but himself! You've killed people, abused them, hurt them beyond imagining! And the one I talked to witnessed these things first hand once. Because he was your victim." Sakura said.  
  
In the back of my mind I was confused, but outside I was just angry.  
  
"Who told you this? WHO?!" I asked with authority.  
  
"I am forbidden to say. But one thing I can tell you is I believe you are a guy that has no use for life, or sees how precious it is. Until you lose it. And I think you know what I am speaking of." She said.  
  
I narrowed my eyes at her. "Explain yourself." I said.  
  
"That pain in your heart, Bakura. Why, could it mean your slowly losing the mortal life you possess? Or could it be you have a black rose in your soul, that is slowly decaying away, and with every fallen petal you lose part of the limited life you have. And one of these days, it'll all be gone, Bakura. One of these days you won't wake up, and you won't be coming back as a spirit of the Ring. No. You'll stay in eternity, paying for all of those things you have done to other people. You only have one option now, Bakura. You only have one option to save the ticking away life that you have left. You must set things right, Bakura. In your heart, and in your soul. Set things right with the ones you have hurt, and you will be forgiven. And possibly, be saved as well." She said.  
  
I stared confusingly at her, not fully understanding the deal she lay before me.  
  
"I don't understand." I said. Sakura narrowed her eyes.  
  
"I believe you do. Now please leave my neighborhood before I find someone to do it for me." She snapped.  
  
Taking a few steps back, I started to walk out of the room. For some reason feeling uncertain of myself at the moment, I stopped when I heard Sakura speak my name.  
  
"Bakura," She began.  
  
I paused for a moment. "I'm only being stern because I don't want you to..die." She said softly.  
  
"Die? Ha. Well, Sakura, you're the first who's ever said they DIDN'T want me to die. Look if you want to do yourself a favor.." I said, turning around.  
  
"Forget about me and my problems. I'll deal with this myself, and all you're doing is placing a burden on your thoughts." I sighed, realizing that it sounded like I was starting to care. "It would just make me feel worse to think someone ELSE was dealing with my own stupidity.." Thinking I had said enough, I began walking again down the darkened ally.  
  
"But, you can't do this by yourself! It's impossible, Bakura!" Sakura said, running behind me to catch up. "Is that so? Well, I can always have Ryou help me if that's the case." I said, not glancing back but kept looking forward.  
  
"It's not that simple. You don't know what you're dealing with. This is a completely different from anything you've faced as a yami..."  
  
I stopped, suddenly realizing that she had sensed me as a yami. I turned around, grabbing her by the collar of her jacket.  
  
"WHAT did you say I was?" I hissed, my eyes meeting hers in a death glare.  
  
"I'm sorry. I found out you were a yami from the Millennium Ring, and I." Sakura began. But I cut her off. "Tell me who the fool was that told you. Tell me now or I'll hit you so hard those punks would have felt like flies." I warned.  
  
"It..it was Ryou..he told me everything..please don't hurt him..he only wanted to help you, Bakura..he's scared of losing you.." Sakura sobbed, tears rolling down her cheeks as she looked down to break my stare. "Ryou? I should have known." I said to myself. I slowly let her feet touch the ground again, but I didn't let go. I still had questions to ask her.  
  
"What else did he tell you?" I asked.  
  
"That you used to do horrible things when you were back in Egypt..terrible things. That's why I got so mad at you just before, because I couldn't understand why you had been like that." She said, still crying but her tears were dry. I let go completely of her collar, staring in disbelief at her.  
  
"Then, if you know who I am and how I used to be, why do you want to help me?" I asked.  
  
"Because, Bakura. I must repay you for saving my life. Even though you don't believe it, you are very important to me because you saved me. If you hadn't helped me, I would probably be dead by now." She said.  
  
I raised an eyebrow. "For the last time, I DIDN'T save you." I said, beginning to walk away.  
  
"Can't you let down your barrier just this once, and tell me the truth?" Sakura asked.  
  
I stopped, and sighed. Should I? Should I tell her that I really meant to save her? I made a small growl in my throat.  
  
"Okay, Sakura. I DID save you, okay? I don't yet realize why I cared for you, but something tells me it's because of this mortal body that I'm in. And to be completely truthful," I paused for a moment. "I WILL need your help to stop this ticking time bomb inside of me." There was silence Sakura's side, as I stood in disbelief of actually requesting help from someone.  
  
"If there's anything you can do for me.please help. I don't want to die yet. I'm not ready." I said softly. Sakura walked up and put a warm, gentle hand on my shoulder.  
  
"I will help you, Bakura-san. If you request my help, I will be there for you every step of the way." She said. I grinned slightly. "Thank you, Sakura. But let's not get too mushy. I still have a reputation to live up to." I said, lifting her hand off of my shoulder and continuing down the ally. But this time, Sakura was at my side.  
  
Bakura: *Crying* That was beautiful!  
  
Me: Oh, suck it up! So did anyone besides Bakura like this chapter? I hope I can get up more, but this is a busy week, seeing it's the week before Christmas. Please review when possible, and cool down on the gifts. Send questions instead!  
  
Bakura: Yeah. Will someone ask me out of a date? PLEASE?  
  
Me: Uh, yeah. Help out and get Bakura out of my studio for the day. Take him!! *Wide Eyes*  
  
Bakura: Excuse me, but I thought YOU were the one who thought I was so kawaii and you NEEDED me here and everything.  
  
Me: Yes, well.anyway, R&R! 


	5. Darkness in the Light

Me: I love you all! It's so nice to feel appreciated!  
  
Bakura: Sure is!  
  
Me: _" I never heard anyone mention YOUR name!  
  
Bakura: Is it just me? Or are you JEALOUS that everyone is going, *In girly voice* Ohhhh, poor Bakura, he gets tortured by this awful authoress, ohh, poor Bakura-san, I wish you didn't torture him so much.  
  
Me: How about this? Oh, poor Bakura! But I love seeing my characters tortured!  
  
Bakura: \_/  
  
Me: So anyway, thanks for the eleven reviews! Sometimes I wish I was the one, not mentioning any pen names, that got five hundred and over reviews for a Yami Bakura fan fic, but obviously I'm not appreciated as much as I had thought.  
  
Bakura: Oh, you're appreciated all right. By monkeys.  
  
Me: v_v' Please leave me alone. Remember, I am the one who writes this story, and I can have anything I want to happen to you.  
  
Bakura: Like what?  
  
Me: I could throw you into a pool full of piranhas, or alligators, or.how about we ask the viewers? What do you think? Piranhas, or alliga.*Mouth is muffled by Bakura's hand*  
  
Bakura: I will personally crush you and throw you into a pit of molten lava if you DON'T quit insulting and torturing me!  
  
Me: *Uses my authoress powers to make Bakura fall down a hole*  
  
Bakura: AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!  
  
Me: Thank you authoress powers. Okay, on to some questions. But first, same older disclaimer time!  
  
Disclaimer: Kira does not own Yu-Gi-Oh, but does own the Black Rose virus, Sakura, and Sakura's little brother. Oh, and she owns all of this story's ideas!  
  
Me: With me I have Seto Kaiba, who has been personally asked by one of my viewers.  
  
Seto: Thank you so much for picking me to be your guest. Although I still have something to settle with you about ME not being in this story.  
  
Me: Yeah, well, you might have the money but I have the pen. Now, Blue Elf asks this question Kaiba,  
  
I wanted to ask Kaiba this for quite a while. When Kaiba calls Joey animal names, are they really pet names? Great story!  
  
Seto: It all depends. When I call Joey a dog, for example, I'm merely expressing what I think he is. When he cowers like he does at the loss of a duel, he deserves the title. The reason why you might THINK it's a pet name is quite obvious, but it isn't. If it was I would have already bought a leash and collar and built him a dog house for my backyard. Believe me, I would.  
  
Me: Welllllll....I imagine Joey really appreciates that, Kaiba. Thanks for the review and the question, Blue Elf! Oh, also to one of my viewers, which pen name is DemonSurfer, I give you a custom made, one of a kind Sakura plushie. This is the only one ever made you know! And a Ryou plushie, which isn't uncommon, but here you go anyway. Oh, I have a bulletin...  
  
DATING SERVICE NOW OPEN FOR CAST MEMBERS!!!!  
  
Me: That's right! I am opening a small dating service right here in between chapters! Gives me something to do! One rule..no hentai. Won't except it under any circumstances. This is a PG rated story people, and I'm NOT upping the rating. Here are the lucky guys who are open to date:  
  
YAMI YUGI: Age: Well, I'll say sixteen, but we ALL know he's much older  
  
YUGI: Age sixteen  
  
KAIBA: Age eighteen  
  
JOEY: Age sixteen  
  
RYOU: Age sixteen  
  
YAMI BAKURA: Age sixteen (Obviously older but ya know)  
  
MALIK ISHTAR: Age sixteen (I refuse to call him by the English dub of Marik)  
  
TRISTAN: Age sixteen (Must I keep repeating myself?)  
  
Me: Okay, that's all I'm putting up. Eight boys in my studio at once is quite enough for me. There are just some simple guidelines. You must include your name (Can be made up, you don't have to tell me any personal information)  
  
you MUST be a girl to date a boy (Obviously)  
  
what you'll be wearing,  
  
where your date is,  
  
what happens on the date (No hentai please or I will not use it. Kissing IS allowed!)  
  
and if you'd want to go out with him again.  
  
I'll decide how the date should go, but I WILL go by your ideas. Please let me know if you are a glomper of a character, so I can warn them ahead of time.  
  
I know many of you girls out there are DYING to get your hands on Yami Yugi, so start sending in those reviews and  
  
I PROMISE to get every single date entrée up in some time or another! And now, on to the next chapter!  
  
  
  
Bakura's POV  
  
"Where do we start?" I asked Sakura as we walked down the dark ally.  
  
"We start by finding someone who knows of your condition. Someone who would understand. And I know just the person. He's actually my next door neighbor. Or, the floor up anyway." Sakura explained.  
  
"Who is he?" I asked.  
  
"I'll let him explain. But he'll know what you're going thru. Just a few more doors down. Here we are. Climb up the fire escape. That way we can get right to his front door." Sakura said, climbing up first.  
  
I followed up, not so sure about intruding like this. "Are you sure he won't mind?"  
  
"Now look who's starting to care. Of course he won't. I come up here almost every day." She said.  
  
I raised an eyebrow nervously. "You..and him..hooked up?"  
  
"Heck no. He's my best friend. Well, he and his sister. Come on in, the window's open." She said, climbing into the house window. I followed reluctantly, not really scared, but uptight because I was expecting an attack from an enemy.  
  
"Hey, anyone home?" Sakura called into the apartment.  
  
"Back here Sakura! Isis, will you do me a favor and get this bookshelf off of me? Isis? ISIS!" Came a desperate male voice from the back of the apartment.  
  
"Malik! Are you okay?" Sakura called, running towards the room where she heard the voice coming from. I followed her slowly, hearing the scene from the hallway which I was currently in.  
  
"Oh, Malik! What did you get yourself into this time?" Sakura's voice said, hearing something being thrown to the side of the room.  
  
"Bakura, get in here and help me!"  
  
I walked in, finding a teen boy on his stomach, pined underneath a bookshelf on top of him, piles of books littered all around the room.  
  
"Grab the other end, Bakura. It'll take all of our strength to get this off." Sakura directed.  
  
I grabbed the other side of the plain wood shelf and began tilting it up off of the boy so it tumbled back the other way with a crash, showing the rest of the boy's body.  
  
"Ohhhh.I think I need to take to lighter reading." The boy said, rubbing his arm that looked like it had a cut on it.  
  
"Are you okay?" Sakura asked, bending down next to him and looking seemingly worried.  
  
"I've been better. But thank you. I don't know where Isis went. She was here a minute ago, and I wanted the book on the top shelf. So, being the moron I am, I climbed the shelf half way, and it started tipping. I tried to get away, but I got pinned underneath it instead. And this, oh, it'll heal."  
  
Now that I could see the boy's face better, he had a very dark complexion, like he was used to being in a place that was sunny and hot a lot of the time. His hair was very unusual, being a beige color, or an off-white. He stood about 5'7, his body just slightly muscular, and his voice had a seemingly Arabian accent. His eyes were blue, and he wore two earrings in each ear, and a black sleeveless shirt. He had on black velvet pants.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay? Let me find a bandage for that wound of yours." Sakura offered.  
  
"No. That won't be necessary. I've had much worse wounds then this." He looked up and stared, as though he noticed me for the first time.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you standing there." He said, slowly rising to his feet.  
  
"A friend of Sakura's are you?"  
  
"..." I began.  
  
"Well, it's a long story. You see, this is Bakura. And.. he saved me from a gang of bums in the park last night." Sakura explained.  
  
"I see. Well, the pleasure is all mine. Oh, my name is Malik Ishtar. I'm.pleased to meet you." He said, extending his tan hand to shake. I slowly shook his hand. Almost like a light bulb popped up above his head, his blue eyes wavered and widened in sudden memory of something.  
  
"OH MY GOD! Where's my Rod?" Malik frantically started searching thru the piles of books, throwing them to the sides and digging furiously until the floor was visible underneath. I had to keep myself from laughing at the creative sentence he had thrown together.  
  
"Oh, please be here. I set it down to get my book, and the shelf must have fallen on it." He said half to himself and half to Sakura and me.  
  
"There you are!" He pulled out a long staff made of pure gold, and my heart skipped. Stepping back, I almost had a sudden urge to grab it, but forced the emotion into submission. He tapped the floor with the end of it, looking proud to have found it.  
  
"The last thing I need is to be losing this." He glanced over at me, lowering his eyebrows at me.  
  
"Wait a minute..you're a yami, aren't you? I can see it in your eyes, those eyes turned down with the darkness of a Millennium Item. I should know. I have one too." Malik said, looking from me to Sakura.  
  
"Why have you brought a yami here?"  
  
"He needs your help. It's sort of important." Sakura said.  
  
"Sort of? How about the difference between life and death for yours truly?" I snapped.  
  
Malik looked back at me. "The spirit of the Millennium Ring is a feisty one, aren't you, Yami Bakura?" Malik said in almost a sassy tone, bending down to pile the books in neat arrangements.  
  
"You see, I know you have almost every Egyptian legend and myth at your disposal, and I was wondering if you would have one associated with yamis of an Item, and the Legend of the Black Rose. Do you?" Sakura asked.  
  
"Do I? What a silly question, Sakura. Out of all these books, don't you think I WOULD?" Malik said with a cheerful laugh (Which I despised by the way) He started digging thru the books profusely. "Ah, here it is." He said, uncovering a dusty, hardcover book that was dulled and very old. There were wrinkles in its old leather backing, and Egyptian Hieroglyphics written on the front. I decoded it quite easily; Egyptian Myths and Legends. It was quite clear that, somehow, he had found the right book.  
  
"Let's see..I'm sure it is in here somewhere.. You'll have to excuse me, my Ancient Egyptian reading skills are a bit rusty..Ah! Here it is! Curse of the Black Rose Virus." He said, pausing as he read the inscription to himself.  
  
"It says here," He began, running his fingers over the ancient language, "That the Black Rose Virus is a very powerful virus that the spirits of the Millennium Items sometimes get. But in this case, you are the main target, Bakura." He said, glancing up at me.  
  
"The virus is inflicted on the yami of an Item, but not just any spirit. It must be one with an evil past or the virus cannot properly fuse with its host. Meaning, not only was the spirit evil, but the person of the past as well. If the spirit does not find kindness in his soul, or, more specifically, find love, he will perish from the virus when the last petal falls. But if he does find love, the rose will die, and his spirit will not be taken with it." Malik read.  
  
"LOVE?!" I snapped.  
  
"Well, not exactly the love you are thinking of. More like kindness, friendship, compassion; these are all forms of human love that are sometimes the strongest form. Romance would work, of course, but it isn't the necessary cure. It does not mean mushy love, Bakura." Malik stated.  
  
"Well that's a load of crap off of MY back." I mumbled.  
  
"How long do you think he has?" Sakura asked Malik.  
  
"Well let's see, if a rose has multiples of five petals, five a day, fifteen to a flower.roughly three days. Shorter if it spreads." Malik calculated.  
  
'What a nerd.' I thought to myself with a sigh.  
  
"And.I die if I don't? Geesum, that's forcing the subject pretty dang hard, isn't it?"  
  
"Well, would you rather do as the book says or die a slow, miserable death?" Malik asked.  
  
Well that was a stupid question.  
  
"I'd rather die." I said, beginning to walk out of the room.  
  
"You'd rather die? Oh, come on! Don't be such an empty minded no good!" Sakura called.  
  
I was about ready to kick her out of the place by now, always seeming to insult me in any way possible.  
  
"Curse me all you want Sakura but there's no WAY I'd ever go along with such a meaningless cure. I mean, how about like..saying a spell, drinking some potion or something? I'm not the type you think I am, and that's the way it will always be." I said.  
  
"Fine. Then go ahead and leave, Bakura. But without me, you're just a lonely little acorn that has been thrown on a highway. A car will come along and hit you and you won't even feel it." She hissed.  
  
I felt a deep presence from her that I had not felt before. Possibly my Millennium ring was trying to tell me something. Turning around, I almost was beginning to see Sakura in a different light. She wasn't as innocent as I had thought, I noticed, because thru the help of my Ring, I saw a dark light looming over her, like that I had seen covering the Black Rose in my soul.  
  
"Stay away from me, Sakura. I do not wish to make friends with YOU." I said, walking out of the room and going back thru the window.  
  
"Do you think he is catching on, Sakura?" Malik asked Sakura in a deep and concealed tone. Sakura smirked at her counterpart, Malik.  
  
"Don't be so negative, Malik. We have three days to work out our plans." She said menacingly, and laughed.  
  
  
  
Me: So how did you like it? The next few chapters are going to be full of action, so stay alert. There are twists and turns that will provide very vital information to my plot.  
  
Bakura: As they all say, the plot is beginning to thicken.  
  
Me: Who's, they all?  
  
Bakura: Me  
  
Me: Ohhhhhh..well, the clock is winding down for Bakura. And, if Malik is right, he only has one solution to cure him. And that's loving someone in some way so to speak.  
  
Bakura: Not happening.  
  
Me: Well that's not your call is it?  
  
Bakura: *Crickets Chirping*  
  
Me: Well said. R&R! And send in who ya want ta date! *Whispers* please get Bakura out of here!  
  
Bakura: I heard that!  
  
Me: ^_^ 


	6. Apolgies and Crimson Blood

Me: Okay, I opened a dating service and no one took the bait. I feel very.unloved.  
  
Bakura: Maybe you shouldn't try to draw their attention away from your story.  
  
Me: who asked you?!  
  
Bakura: *Ducks as a lamp gets thrown over his head* Phew! *fails to miss a TV remote lunged at him and gets whacked in the nose* OW! THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR!  
  
Me: *Hideous laugh and is running in circles*  
  
Bakura: Oo?  
  
Me: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHMUAAAAAHHAHAHAHAHHAHA!  
  
Bakura: O-kay.I better run the story before she drives me into insanity. In another words, HELP! SOMEONE DATE ME SO I CAN GET OUT OF HERE!! *Eyes darting around, hearing hideous laughing at all corners of the studio*  
  
MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  
  
Bakura: HELP ME!! OH RA!  
  
  
  
Bakura's POV  
  
I trudged the long way home, my shoulders drooping and my head down. I felt drained, the Black Rose's inflicting sickness making me almost unable to go on at all. It took all of the power from me and seemed to pour it into oblivion, where I couldn't get at it.  
  
Usually, at this time of day, I'd be thinking of all the people I hated: Ryou, Sakura, Malik, Yami Yugi, Yugi, Tristan, Joey, Tea.every single mortal in the world. But now my mind was quiet. Exhausted from the unusual things I had learned today, wondering if they were true, and how I was going to set things right WITHOUT the love part.  
  
But, of course, there seemed no way to avoid the obvious, but I was sure I would find an alternative. Somehow. Ryou's home came into view. Finally, I could rest. But.no, I couldn't rest. I had to settle something with my hikari about blabbing to other people about my business. No time to rest at all.no.none at all.  
  
Regular POV  
  
Bakura opened the door, the hinges creaking as he walked into the house. "Ryou?! Ryou, are you here?!" He called with a gruff, stern voice that echoed thru the large house.  
  
"I'm up here, Yami!" He heard Ryou's innocent, sweet voice ring out from upstairs.  
  
He followed the voice like a worn down trail in the woods, trudging up the stairs to the room where Ryou sat, waiting. He was standing straight when Bakura came in, as if knowing what his plans were.  
  
"Who do you think you are telling other people of my business, Ryou!? What WAS your motive anyhow? Do you LIKE feeling pain? Do you WANT me to beat you up? Is it SOMETHING you ENJOY?" Bakura asked in a low, growling voice, his brown eyes narrowed furiously and his brows also.  
  
"No, Yami. I don't.I was only trying to." "Shut UP!" Bakura interrupted gruffly, punching Ryou as hard as he could in his stomach. Losing his breath, Ryou stumbled back painfully, sitting on his bed in a crouched position, protecting his stomach that felt ripped inside and out. Bakura raised his fist to strike him again, but he suddenly got a pain in his chest, and instead he staggered backwards, holding onto the left side of his chest and gasping for air. Ryou looked up with dull brown eyes, realizing the pain of Bakura's punch didn't outweigh what his darkness was feeling.  
  
~Please Come Now.I think I'm falling, I'm holding onto all I think is safe~  
  
Bakura felt the pain surge through his body like a lightning bolt striking a power line. But instead of jolting him, it drained him of every ounce of power that he had.  
  
"Are you okay, Bakura?" Ryou asked, concerned for his yami, even though Bakura was so mean to him. Bakura was a part of him, and he felt his pain, no matter how Bakura hated to admit it. Bakura looked up from behind bangs lying across his forehead in snowy-silver heaps.  
  
"Of course I am.I'm just.taking a break." He said, and ended his sentence with a moan. His brown eyes were troubled in their black centers, something Ryou had never seen before. Bakura let out a haggard cough, suddenly feeling something besides air had come up from his lungs. And he thought right. When he looked down at his hand, it was covered in bright crimson blood. He wiped it on his jeans, walking out of the room, feeling dizzy and disoriented.  
  
"Maybe we should get you to the hospital. Maybe they can help you." Ryou said frantically, following Bakura down the hallway. Bakura gritted his teeth as another wave of pain consumed him.  
  
"Think with your head, Ryou! With my situation, no mortal doctor could help me." He coughed again, but this time no blood came with it.  
  
"Then what do we do?" Ryou asked.  
  
"Shut your mouth! I'm thinking." Bakura snapped, walking painfully into the small bathroom, flicking on the light and staring at his ghost white face in the mirror over the sink. He looked sick, that was for sure. But Malik had said it would be two more days until his time was up. But for some reason it was going faster then he had expected. More like twenty-four hours left in his life.  
  
~It seems I've found the road to nowhere and I'm tryin to escape.~  
  
'Why would anybody care if I die? I don't.' He thought, grimacing through his pain. If there was any way he could explain the pain was in, it was the sensation of your chest being ripped open and someone squeezing his heart hard. He had a throbbing headache, feeling as though someone was constantly hitting him with a mallet over his head.  
  
Ryou watched his other's face turn from anger to frustrating worry. Ryou felt the same way. Though his own stomach was sore from the punch, he didn't feel quite as painful. His yami was in a state of pure denial of his pain. Like a thousand claws were lashing at his insides, the pain lingered on as Bakura leaned against the sink. Coughing again, a trickle of deeper red blood came from his mouth, dripping into the sink like something out of a horror movie. And suddenly, he had a flashback, or, rather, a vision of some sort.  
  
Of Sakura, not the Sakura he knew, but one of who was out for his soul.  
  
'I AM coming for you, Bakura. And when I find you, I will take you Millennium Ring and use it at my disposal! But to do so, you and your hikari must DIE!' The words echoed like a quote from Sakura herself in his mind, his eyes becoming wide as he came to the realization that this whole time, Sakura had been betraying him. But how could that be? He was mortal, so he couldn't have visions like that. He thought that maybe he was beginning to hallucinate from his overwhelming pain, but seemed to believe the vision.  
  
He heard thunder crash and lightning strike outside he bathroom window. The lightning knocked the power out, and the house was consumed by darkness. The whole room lit up with the lightning's second bolt, as well as the rest of the house, in a blinding white light. Then, as if it were never there, the light deceased.  
  
~I yelled back when I heard thunder!~  
  
Walking over to the window and in the process wiping his blood-stained lips on his arm, he looked out of the window, the burning sensation now very slightly diminishing. But it was now going into his head, a throbbing headache pounding in his brain.  
  
"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!" He yelled out the window, the thunder answering in a roar of power, to tell Bakura that it was more powerful still. Placing his hands on the windowsill, he let his weight shift to his arms, his head hanging down in a tired heap, his shoulders relaxed.  
  
"I'm dying. It's over. I'm finished." He said to himself in a mumble, taking one of his pale-skinned hands and running his fingers through his long, white-silver hair. His usually hateful eyes were turned down in sorrow, realizing that these were probably his final hours.  
  
~But now I'm down to one last breath. And with it let me say, let me say.~  
  
"Everything.I'm paying for what I have done. It's hopeless for me now. I will die, and no one will care." He whispered, but loud enough for Ryou to hear. Ryou, now realizing that his other was dying right before his very eyes, walked slowly across the tile floor, standing just behind Bakura.  
  
"Don't say that. You'll be fine." He said gently.  
  
Bakura stood erect, looking back at his weaker, more innocent half.  
  
"Don't you get it, Ryou? Hasn't it sunk in yet? What Malik said was true. I WILL perish. This virus will consume me, and I'm paying for the suffering I've caused everyone. The people back in my time, Yugi and his friends.and you." His voice was unusually sad, and not as gruff as usual. His brown eyes were wavering with tears that threatened to well up; something that he hadn't shed since he was a mortal back in Egypt. And that was over the loss of his mother.  
  
"I'm too late. The one thing that could cure me.is gone. I had the chance. I lost it.everything.gone." He kept repeating it over and over, almost in a shocked state where he wasn't completely sure how to take the reality. The pain increasing, Bakura walked over to the wall, and facing back the other way slid down to a crouched position, his knees bent up and his arms wrapped around them. His slumped position was never before seen by Ryou. It was usually HIM that was crying in a corner. But Bakura's eyes were pouring out salty tears of the fate that lay before him. His eyes were closed, the tears seeping from behind his eyelids and rolling down his pale cheeks. They dropped from there to his lap, where they either soaked his black shirt, or his jeans.  
  
Ryou hesitated from his standpoint; what should he do? His own yami was there, all alone, and dying! Taking all the courage he could muster, he walked over to him and sat down beside him.  
  
"It's okay, yami. I'm here for you. I know that must sound..very idiotic to you..being whom you are and such." Ryou began. Bakura looked over, his brown eyes still glazed over with tears.  
  
"Ryou.." He whispered, almost totally unable to make out with the human ear.  
  
"I'm s-s-s-sooo..s-s-s..orry..for all..I have..done.." He stuttered, closing his eyes again. Ryou looked shocked that Bakura had apologized, but slowly, he reached out and touched Bakura's shoulder.  
  
"And I'm sorry for going against your wishes of telling Sakura of your past. I think that might have been a lethal mistake on my part; I believe she has something to do with this."  
  
Bakura didn't seem to pay attention at first, until a small voice came from him. "It doesn't matter now. All is lost that I ever had in my grasp. My life is over." He whispered. Though Ryou wasn't sure how he was going to take it, he reached over and hugged him.  
  
"Don't think that way. Think of something that makes you happy, Bakura. Tell me..what makes you happy?" Ryou asked, feeling as though, for the moment, he had a big brother that needed advice from his younger sibling. Bakura looked over, almost unfazed by Ryou's unexpected side hug.  
  
~Hold me now..I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking, that maybe six feet ain't so far down~  
  
A small, sad smile came across Bakura's wet, red face. "Well..I suppose finding all the Millennium Items would make me happy..if it was the old me." He said, his smile melting and turning back into a firm frown. Ryou smiled a bit.  
  
"I suppose that makes sense." He said. Bakura's eyes began to close slightly, his mind beginning to fade away from reality.  
  
"Hey, stay awake, Bakura. You NEED to stay awake." Ryou said, shaking his yami's body.  
  
"Huh?" Bakura said unconsciously, looking blankly over at Ryou.  
  
"You need to stay alert, or you'll die. Don't close your eyes, okay?" Ryou said gently.  
  
"I...can't..hold on.." Bakura said.  
  
"Yes you can! Just have faith, Yami! BELIEVE you can make it!" Ryou encouraged him.  
  
There was a bang downstairs, like someone had thrown open the front door.  
  
"What was that?" Ryou whispered, sinking down lower.  
  
"Beware..Sakura..evil.." Bakura mumbled unconsciously.  
  
"Sakura? What do you know about Sakura? Did she make you sick?" Ryou asked.  
  
"I..don't..kn-..ow..she..coming for..me.." He answered, though Ryou wasn't so sure his yami knew what he was talking about, or if he even knew where he was. Someone came stomping up the stairs, and the house became darker then before. Another crackle of thunder trembled the earth and the two boys trapped within its rage, as the house lit up with white light. The blackness of the house turned into swirls of purple and gray, like the Shadow Realm Ryou had witnessed in the Duelist Kingdom. His yami had brought him there. But who was causing it now? A form walked into the bathroom just then, though the bathroom had disappeared into an endless black tunnel. When the form became clear, he could tell it was, or used to be, Sakura.  
  
But her eyes were darker, a black cape flowing from her back and a long black dress swishing around her legs. Behind her, Yami Malik followed, his Millennium Rod in his hand.  
  
"Well..Bakura is two days early. How very unusual. I thought he'd hold on longer then this." She said, her voice cold and evil.  
  
"What have you done to him?" Ryou asked, standing up in defense of his wounded yami.  
  
A grin spread across her dark face. "You've finally caught on that I was the one who infected him. Yes, as soon as he went to bed that night I infected his Millennium Ring with the deadly Black Rose Virus. And with his heart cold and as hard as a stone, it was easy for the virus to take effect. And so well it has, I believe. And thanks to him I have the power of the Millennium Ring as my disposal. I have all of his Shadow Energy to use whatever way I like." She said, then laughed wickedly.  
  
"And now," She began, her dark brown eyes turned down at Ryou. "I will take care of you both!" She held out her hand with fingers parted and Ryou felt himself grow very weak. Falling to his knees, and then falling all the way, he blacked out, only hearing the muffled noise of his own heartbeat in his ears. 


	7. Conscience

Me: I'm so sorry it's taken so long to update! I've been in the hospital five weeks and just got home. I hope I didn't lose anybody..  
  
Bakura: I'm still here!  
  
Me: You don't count. I was talking about my viewers  
  
Bakura: Well excuse me for living! \ _/  
  
Me: Anyway, I know I left a lot of people in suspense, and I'm sorry. But I couldn't upload from the hospital computers. So hopefully everyone's still interested to see if they died or not. But if you don't, I understand..  
  
Bakura: No they don't. Anyway, get on with the story!  
  
~To Ryou~  
  
His eyes opened into two slits, looking about his surroundings. Quickly sitting up, he was shocked to where they were. It was like a room in a temple, except there was no entrance, nor no exit. An eerie light with no source hovered about the room, and he heard the constant, irritating sound of dripping water. Regaining his senses, he remembered Bakura, and looked about him. Bakura was laying on the floor, face paler then usual, his eyes closed, and his body limp and relaxed. Ryou rushed over to him, kneeling by his side. "Bakura! Bakura!" He said, shaking his shoulder. But he didn't move, nor did he respond. He was dead silent. Fearing the worst, Ryou turned him from his side position to laying flat on his back, his arms laying at his sides, fingers partially curled. His head was turned to the side, white hair falling around his face and framing it with a brilliant silver-white. Ryou felt his chest. No slight movement of the chest indicated his heart had stopped. He picked up one cold hand and felt his pulse; no movement from the central vein. He was dead. "This can't end this way. He can't be dead." Ryou whispered, suddenly feeling a shiver go up his spine. He shivered when he felt it stop at the top of his neck, it slowly disappearing. "Oh, Bakura!" He sobbed, tears streaming down his face. A whisper suddenly moved through the room. Ryou looked up, glancing about him with shock. He had heard something, something very low, almost unable to hear. Ryou! There it was again! Someone calling his name. "Who are you?" Ryou asked the room. Who do you think? It was obvious that was the voice of his yami. But it was coming from all around him, not the still body that lay next to him. "Where are you?" Ryou asked again. The question is, where are YOU? Ryou raised an eyebrow. "Ummm..I'm in some sort of temple room...but there's no entrances or anything..I'm sealed in..with your body." Ryou shuddered at the thought of a dead body being in the same room he was. Just glorious. Well, there's no way I'm leaving from where I am, so I believe it's up to you. It's in your hands now; seeing at the moment I don't have any.. The spirit grumbled. Ryou wasn't so sure this was the Bakura he knew. He sounded too wise, too kindly. But he ignored it. "What should I do? Without your strength and the magic of the Millennium Ring, I'm helpless." Ryou sighed. Shaking his head with sorrow, he closed his eyes. "I'm afraid I'm going to be joining you soon." He said softly. Don't start giving up now, Ryou! I need you to get us BOTH out of here! If you don't, do you think I can? I'm a spirit, for heaven's sake! I'm not so sure how to get out of this either, but somehow we're going to have to. Or I'm in quite the predicament. With me up here and you down there. Ryou noticed his voice seemed different. Perhaps it was because Sakura had part of his spirit, and that his whole spirit wasn't intact. Now Ryou's head was hurting from confusion. But, then again, it felt as though his yami was speaking to him through his mind! Now getting a headache, he sank down to the floor, sitting himself on the cold stone. "There HAS to be some way to get out of this dimension. Some kind of exit." Ryou said to himself. There is a way. But it's inside your mind, not in what you see. The spirit directed. Ryou looked up at the ceiling. "Are you REALLY Yami Bakura?" He asked. Well..sort of. I'm Bakura's conscience. What tells him the difference between right and wrong. I'm the one who told him to help out Sakura that time, and to protect you numerous times. I suppose he doesn't hear me as much as he should. Bakura's Conscience said. "I see.in my mind, huh? What do you suppose THAT means?" Ryou asked in sort of a sarcastic tone. Sakura is using your own thoughts to create this world you are in. All you need to do is WISH a door was there, and, hopefully, you'll get your wish! The Conscience said. "Can I wish for Bakura to be alive again?" Ryou asked excitedly. Don't push it. One thought at a time. Now how about that door. "Coming right up!" He thought hard about the door, clearing all other thoughts out of his head, and, soon enough, he heard a rumble in the wall next to him. When he opened his eyes, a stone door had opened, revealing something outside with light shining in. "A door! I think I bloody did it!" Ryou said, walking steadily over to the door and peering around the edge of the door frame made in stone. What he saw was actually the bathroom in which he and Bakura had once been. He made himself visible to the scene, coming into total view, reaching out his hand to see if it was real. His hand disappeared behind a gel type of covering, with the consistency of water, rippling at his gentle touch. Well isn't that the strangest thing I've ever laid eyes on. What do you suppose is on the other side? Came the curious, wise voice of Bakura's conscience. "I don't know. What if it's a trap, and I can't get back to my yami?" Ryou asked the ceiling. I'm afraid there's only ONE way to solve that question, Ryou. You have to face that fear and see what IS on the other side. If you don't, who's going to save Bakura? I'll be with you, even in that other realm outside of here. Now let's see some courage. Conscience encouraged him with a gentle breeze that blew through the imaginary realm they were in. Ryou took a deep breath, looking back at Bakura's still body that lay on the cold stone floor. 'I'll be right back, Bakura.' He promised. Sticking the rest of his skinny, pale arm in, his body followed, his head going through and peeking on the other side. "What is this.." His voice trailed off so that his lips were forming the words but with no sound. It was an endless rolling field, the sky an angry gray, and a lone apple tree bare and dead sat on top of the hill. Beyond it, he didn't see anything. He realized that this is where he felt the breeze blowing through, but why he was here he could not figure out so quickly. Well this is different. Bakura's conscience said, still following Ryou in a linked mental connection. "Do you know what this place is?" Ryou asked. I know everything about Bakura, but different realms I know no more then you do. But I have a feeling you should go over that hill. I think there's something on the other side. The conscience suggested. "Well, since I'm already here," Ryou muttered, and walked steadily to the hill. When he reached the top, the breeze was more like a wind, and the clouds were even darker then before. Everything was barren and very plain, and what caught Ryou's eye what lay below him down the slope of the hill. There was a small graveyard, consisting of about fifty gravestones, and in the middle of them, hunched over and bent down to look at a stone, was a young man whom resembled Ryou in every way. Thick, silvery-white hair lay on the man's back, and a black coat was drawn close to his neck. "It's Bakura! BAKURA!" Ryou called, waving his hands. But either Bakura didn't hear him, or the wind carried Ryou's desperate calls away from his ears. Ryou continued down the hill, until he was surely close enough for Bakura to see him. But Bakura's look was on the gravestone, and as Ryou watched, like a rushing wind across the plains of the west, the scene before him changed. Though Bakura was unfazed, the scenery transformed in a wave as fast as the wind itself.  
  
The grass turned to sand, the tree that stood atop the hill turned into a palm tree swaying in the hot breeze, and the sun shone overhead. The rolling hills were now high mounds of sand that had ripples in it like a dry stream. Bakura's clothes were different, a tan shirt made of animal hides, and baggy pants made out of light brown linen. The gravestone was now a flat rock, but as Ryou came around to see what was written, it revealed to be spelled in hieroglyphics.  
  
"What does it say?" Ryou asked Bakura's conscience. It says, 'gods have mercy on the body that lies thereof, Akana Bakura II 4048 B.C.E. Conscience said, but Ryou was still puzzled. 'Who is she?' He thought. Bakura leaned over, brushing the sand dust off of the tombstone gently, his deep brown eyes looking unusually sad and blank. "May you rest in peace, Mother." He said softly, taking a small necklace made of gold off of his neck and laying it on top of the tombstone. Smiling a bit with sadness, seeing how he had made the site look more personalized, he stood up. Not noticing Ryou at all, he began walking off. Ryou followed him, watching as he stopped, taking a knife out of his pant's small pocket, raising the knife into the air with both hands and getting ready to stab himself in the heart. Ryou cringed, unable to stop Bakura, but he didn't need to because Bakura stopped, the knifepoint just centimeters from penetrating his flesh. Sighing, he placed the knife back into his pocket. His eyes suddenly got a glare of revenge in them, eyebrows turned down in anger, as he walked to the palace that sat only about a mile away in front of him. Ryou continued to follow behind him, wanting to know more of what Bakura was planning.  
  
Kira: Well that's it! End of story! NOT!! HA HA HA!  
  
Bakura: You are so childish.  
  
Kira: *facefault* It's April. I pull pranks on people all month! *Evil grin*  
  
Bakura: I thought April 1st was when you did that.  
  
Kira: I made it a month long holiday! So anyway, was it good enough for those who were waiting? I need ideas because, honestly, I've been copying all this from an unfinished story. I need ideas! (But not until AFTER the next two chapters) Oh, and by the way, I'm sorry I haven't brought up the dating service, which finally has some takers! *applause from random fan girls*  
  
Kira: *Bows* I'll bring all the cutest guys here to get everyone's attention!  
  
*Yami, Yugi, Ryou, Malik, Kaiba, Joey, Tristan, and Duke all fall through a hole that has magically appeared in the ceiling of Kira's studio*  
  
Bakura: *Eye twitch* Oh gods, I thought I was going to get through this fic WITHOUT seeing them again! *remembers incident with the flaming torch* *Shudders*  
  
Yami: *Rubs bruised head* Don't tell me we're HERE again!  
  
Duke: We are! *Groans at sprained tail bone*  
  
Malik: Look, it's not like we're going to get bombarded by girls!  
  
*All but Kira notices two girls standing in the studio* *All eye twitch*  
  
Kira: Please welcome two girls who would LOVE to take two of you lucky bachelors out on a date! Meet Daredevil and Aiko. *Daredevil was a cute girl with a tank top and pants, while Aiko was a taller girl with a glittery shirt with ANGEL written in gold lettering. She wore a black skirt that went just below the knee, and black boots. Her hair was tied up in a half bun with a black ribbon.*  
  
Kira: *walking up to the boys, she takes Bakura and Malik out of the group* You two lucky boys will be their dates. Malik goes to Aiko, and Bakura goes to Daredevil.  
  
Bakura *Mutters* Sounds wonderful.  
  
Malik: *in a daze over how beautiful his date is* Ahhhhhhhh.  
  
Kira: ^_^ Have fun you guys! Remember, back at eleven or I kill you both! Goodbye, goodbye! *Waves hysterically as the girls hook arms with the almost unwilling "Boyfriends" and disappears out the door*  
  
Kira: *Sits down in script writing chair* Seeing Bakura is gone for the moment, I'll need a NEW co-author host to help me out. How about you ALL help me?  
  
Everyone: *Crickets chirp*  
  
Kira: Rrrrrrrrrrrr! OKAY! *Is screaming* I WILL FORCE YOU ALL TO STAY WITH ME UNTIL THIS FIC IS DONE, IS THAT CELAR OR DO I NEED TO YELL SOME MORE?!!!!!  
  
Everyone: *Silence*  
  
Kira: Good. But like I said, I have plenty of co-hosts, but no ideas! I've had writers block on this story for quite a while! I need you, the readers, to help me. Also, I'd like to send a shout out to my favorite authoress SoulBonded! *Peace sign* rock on girl! 


End file.
